Jiraiya truly was an excellent teacher. He could tailor his teaching to each student's characteristics, allowing them to fully unleash their potential. This was why every one of his disciples achieved greatness, whether it was Minato Namikaze of the Leaf or the trio of Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan from the Rain Village.
For the past half-month, Taiichi had gone to Jiraiya for lessons every afternoon punctually, sometimes studying for the entire afternoon. For Taiichi, this was both an opportunity for rapid advancement and a deep bond. Although Jiraiya hadn't formally accepted him as a disciple, in Taiichi's heart, he already regarded Jiraiya as a true master.
Of course, the same went for Tsunade. Even though she was irresponsible and disappeared after teaching him for only a few days, Taiichi would never forget her dedication and kindness.
Today was the last day of vacation. In the morning, Taiichi had completed his handover work with Director Fujita and Director Biwako at the hospital and even collected his internship salary for the past two months. Although it wasn't much, it was the first money Taiichi had truly earned himself, so he was quite happy.
In the afternoon, at Training Ground 11.
The cicadas' chirping wrapped in heatwaves swept across the training ground. Taiichi stood on the gravel riverbank, sweat dripping from his chin and evaporating into white steam on the scorching rocks. Jiraiya sat cross-legged on a tree stump on the opposite bank, tossing three shuriken in his hand, the cold metallic glint appearing and disappearing between his fingers.
"This is the last practical combat lesson. Let me see how much you've improved in this half-month." Jiraiya suddenly raised his hand, the shuriken tearing through the heatwave with a whistling sound. The moment Taiichi leaned back to dodge, the short sword at his waist was already unsheathed, the blade striking the subsequent two hidden weapons and sparking fire.
The hum of the blade cutting through the air suddenly intensified. Taiichi's figure left afterimages on the water's surface, the Chakra-infused blade glowing with a pale cyan light. Jiraiya's hand, raised to form seals, suddenly paused—Taiichi was too fast. Seeing Taiichi rushing right in front of him, Jiraiya pulled a kunai from his pouch to meet him.
Clang!
The moment the kunai blocked the blade, Jiraiya's forehead protector was lifted by the strong wind. He retreated half a step into the river water. Before the ripples could spread, Taiichi had already completed the final Tiger seal: "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A whirlwind carrying river sand rushed toward his face. Jiraiya squinted, his pupils constricting when he saw the cold glint flashing within the grit. Multiple transparent wind blades were hidden in the gale. Half a month ago, Taiichi's Great Breakthrough was just a strong wind; getting hit meant at most being blown away. Now, it concealed numerous wind blades—getting hit meant lacerated skin and torn flesh.
Jiraiya didn't take it head-on. He jumped back a step, rapidly formed seals, and slapped one hand onto the water surface. Water Style: Water Wall. The exploding water curtain shattered into thousands of droplets under the wind blades, refracting a rainbow of light.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
The boy's clear shout pierced the water curtain. The crimson stream of fire expanded suddenly as it passed through the rainbow light, transforming into a three-meter-long fire dragon. Jiraiya leaned back to dodge the flames, the smell of singed hair drifting to his nose. Using the momentum of leaning back, he supported himself with one hand on the ground, his Chakra-infused right leg sweeping toward Taiichi's abdomen.
Splash!
Amidst the splashing water, Taiichi's figure, kicked flying, suddenly turned into a wooden log. Just as Jiraiya was about to turn, the sound of whistling wind from above made him instinctively form seals: "Earth Style: Mud Wall!" The moment the rock rose, shuriken wrapped in wind blades sliced off half the stone wall.
"Good timing, but..." Before Jiraiya could finish, the river water beneath his feet suddenly boiled. As he leaped up, a water tornado two meters in diameter burst from the water, swallowing him in mid-air. Inside the crystal-clear water curtain, Taiichi's hands, maintaining the Snake seal, trembled slightly—this was a variant application of Water Style: Water Wall, raising the water curtain directly from under the enemy's feet to impact them instead of raising it in front of oneself for defense.
The water tornado collapsed with a crash, and a soaked Jiraiya landed on a rock by the shore. He shook the water droplets from his white hair, looking at the boy panting on one knee in the middle of the river. The setting sun stretched Taiichi's shadow long. His wet ninja outfit clung to his still-developing body, and his Chakra fluctuations were clearly chaotic, yet he was forcibly gathering it.
"That last Water Wall," Jiraiya wiped the water from his face, "the scroll didn't say it could be used like that." He noticed the boy's pale lips, a sign of Chakra overdraw. But the scale and control precision of that water tornado far exceeded the level of an ordinary Chunin.
Taiichi stood up, supporting himself with his sword hilt. The sensation of river water flowing over his calves sobered him up a bit. "You said Water Style emphasizes adapting to local conditions..." Before he could finish, three shuriken with explosive tags pinned themselves around him. With a boom, the boy's leaping figure was swallowed by firelight.
When the smoke cleared, a pale blue water curtain protected Taiichi like an inverted bowl. Ripples still lingered on the surface of the Water Wall. The boy's fingertips maintaining the Snake seal trembled slightly, but he still forced a smile: "Yesterday, when you were eating your fifth bowl of tonkotsu ramen... cough... you said anything can happen in real combat..."
Jiraiya suddenly laughed loudly, startling the flock of birds roosting in the forest. He walked up to Taiichi, who had collapsed in the shallows, his shadow covering the boy's pale face. "You dare to maintain a Water Wall with your Chakra bottomed out?" His rough palm pressed on the wet black hair. "However..." He turned to look at the receding water curtain. "Being able to turn a defensive jutsu into a trap—that adaptability is more precious than the jutsu itself."
Dusk deepened, and the cries of returning birds came from the forest at the edge of the training ground. Jiraiya pulled out his frog wallet. Three coupons drifted onto Taiichi's knees with a soft Chakra sound. "As a graduation gift, tonight I'm treating you to double chashu pork." He turned and walked toward Konoha, the setting sun casting his shadow over the boy. "Next time you see Tsunade, tell her the trouble she threw at me..." His white hair lifted in the evening breeze. "Was a pleasant surprise."
"Jiraiya-sensei, are you leaving?" Taiichi shouted at Jiraiya's back.
"Going on a mission. Delayed it for half a month; if I don't go now, someone's going to get angry." Jiraiya's voice drifted back with the evening wind.
After saying goodbye to Jiraiya, Taiichi went to Ichiraku Ramen alone. He handed over the coupon Jiraiya gave him, and the boss quickly served a large bowl of tonkotsu ramen.
Looking at the full bowl, Taiichi felt a bit sentimental. Before, when eating ramen, there was always someone laughing and joking beside him. But now, it was just Taiichi himself.
Finishing the ramen quickly, Taiichi gathered his mood and rushed home. He wanted to properly summarize the gains from this summer vacation; he couldn't wait.
Back home, Taiichi looked at the refreshed attribute panel, his heart filled with a sense of accomplishment.
> Name: Taiichi Matsushita
> Class: Apprentice Ninja Lv8 (1024/1400)
> Talents: Diligence, Academic Genius
> Age: 6
> Constitution: 15
> Strength: 17
> Agility: 15
> Spirit: 20
> Chakra: 5000 (5800)
> Attribute Points: 10
> Skill Points: 11
> Nature Transformation:
> Fire Nature Transformation Lv3 (356/400)
> Wind Nature Transformation Lv3 (373/400)
> Water Nature Transformation Lv3 (173/400)
> Yang Nature Transformation Lv4 (537/600)
> Skills:
> Basic Taijutsu Lv10 (463/2000)
> Basic Meditation Lv10 (634/2000)
> Chakra Refining Technique Lv10 (944/2000)
> Ninja Tool Throwing Lv9 (345/1600)
> Three Basic Jutsu Lv9 (12/1600)
> Hatake Style Kenjutsu Lv7 (53/1200)
> [Fire Style]
> Flame Bullet Lv8 (356/1400)
> Phoenix Flower Jutsu Lv9 (124/1600)
> Dragon Flame Bomb Lv4 (302/600)
> [Wind Style]
> Great Breakthrough Lv8 (36/1400)
> Gale Palm Lv4 (352/600)
> [Water Style]
> Water Wall Lv4 (257/600)
> [Medical Ninjutsu]
> Healing Jutsu Lv10 (1467/2000)
> Mystical Palm Jutsu Lv6 (935/1000)
> Delicate Illness Extraction Technique Lv6 (467/1000)
> Chakra Scalpel Lv5 (312/800)
> Evaluation: As an ordinary person, your lack of Chakra is your fatal shortcoming.
His physical attributes had all increased due to the intense summer training, with Agility increasing by 2 points. It could be said that Taiichi's physical fitness alone had reached the level of a Genin, not to mention his Constitution and Spirit, which far exceeded a Genin's.
The biggest changes were in his skill levels. Several had reached Lv10. Seeing the experience points jump to 2000 at Lv10, Taiichi estimated that when Lv10 was maxed out, the panel would offer an unexpected surprise.
Perhaps the only thing Taiichi wasn't satisfied with was exactly what the evaluation said. Although the evaluation was always annoying, it hit the nail on the head every time—Taiichi had too little Chakra. Currently, his Chakra barely reached the entry-level standard for a Chunin at 5000 points. Assuming a standard C-rank jutsu costs 500 points and a B-rank jutsu costs 1000 points, Taiichi's current reserves could only fire off 10 Flame Bullets or 5 Dragon Flame Bombs.
And that was for basic usage. If he added complex manipulations, like extending duration or increasing power, the number would be even lower.
According to Jiraiya, a ninja's Chakra would only grow rapidly after age 10, accompanying physical development. This growth rate would follow a parabolic curve spanning a ninja's life from ages 10 to 35. The time before that was just laying the foundation.
He also advised Taiichi not to be anxious about his Chakra reserves. Taiichi's Chakra already far exceeded that of average children. He absolutely should not over-extract Chakra due to a shortage, as this would damage his body's potential.
Taiichi understood Jiraiya's good intentions and promised not to overdo it. But whenever Taiichi thought of people with massive Chakra reserves, he couldn't help but feel envious. At that moment, Taiichi made up his mind to study Chakra nature transformation thoroughly in the future, aiming to synthesize a Kekkei Genkai himself to break through his Chakra limits in one go.
But overall, the current Taiichi could absolutely crush the pre-summer Taiichi. He could even take on two or three of his past selves without a problem.